Problems with VPN (FG)

[gougou]

I have FG set up to use IE, and previously was able to use un-VPNed internet in Firefox at the same time. Since about a week ago, as soon as I start up FG, Firefox can't connect to any web pages anymore. BitTorrent is not affected.

This started around the time that I upgraded to Firefox 4, could that have anything to do with it? Any other ideas?

[gato]

Open the proxy tab in Firefox when you have FG loaded. See if FG is changing Firefox's proxy automatically. Previous versions of FG did not, but it's possible that the new version is doing that.

[lanzhoumian]

I have been working with a couple of free VPNs and I found that the Chinese government all figures them out after a while and shuts them down. The only thing that works reliably is a paid service where you actually have other ppl sitting at the other end and figuring out how to then trick the government again and once that has been found out, how to do it another way in a never ending cycle....

[imron]

If you want low-key, off the radar stuff, you might as well sign up with a hosting provider that gives you shell access over SSH and just do your own tunneling.

[amandagmu]

What lanzhoumian said. Find a provider you pay money to, preferably a company based in North America, Europe, Australia, etc. I'm not going to name my VPN providers on here but I got two and when one doesn't work the other usually does. One is a well-known and problematic one that a lot of people have, the other a tiny and somewhat crappy one I got through my uni back in the states.

[gougou]

I might look into SSH tunneling, imron - any host recommendations? How much would a cheap host with shell access cost a month?

Also, I just found out the problem seems to be for foreign sites only - Douban and cn.bing.com (which I assume is on a Chinese server?) work fine. I had the same problem a couple of times at work as well, without using Freegate. Anybody else experiencing this?

[gato]

I think about $5 per month. You can see a list below, though I don't know how reliable these reviews are. The important factors are uptime and speed, of course. Maybe you can find one that allows you to pay on a month-to-month basis and try out the service first.

http://www.hosting-review.com/hosting-directory/top-10-lists/Top-SSH-Hosting-Companies.shtml

I've used some free SSH hosts, too, but they are very slow.

[imron]

The host I currently use is Arvixe. They provide hosting starting from $4 a month if you pay for 2 years upfront, and they'll also throw in free domain-name registration for as long as you keep your account with them. I haven't tested this host in China yet so I can't vouch 100% that they'll work in China, but tunneling through them over SSH works fine locally (when for instance using public WiFi), and it's basically the exact same setup I used previously when in China (however then it was connecting to a VPS I had setup for the company I was working for). They also offer a 60-day, no questions asked, money back guarantee so if it doesn't work you can always just get a refund.

*Disclosure, the above link is my Arvixe affiliate link.

[imron]

I can now vouch that this works fine.

[imron]

Just in case there was anyone considering setting up hosting with SSH access, the host I mentioned above is currently having a "50% off for life" sale for all shared hosting plans until midnight November 25 (use the coupon code 'black friday'). That effectively means you can get an SSH tunnel for $2 a month.

[BaoMiHua]

Slightly off-topic since I don't need more SSH hosts, but the ASP hosting seems to be quite ok value at the Arvixe due to -50%.

Does imron or anybody else have any stories how the normal web-hosting has been with them?

[imron]

I use their Linux hosting and have found them to be reliable and also responsive and helpful with support. I would happily recommend people to use them even without the discount. With the discount it's a steal.